At this moment, the Delta variant is sickening an unprecedented number of children, pediatric ICU beds are filling up, and schools are opening for the fall. There has been a patchwork of different approaches to protect kids during this back-to-school season and a lot of parents aren’t sure whether their school supplies list should include buying extra masks. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics outlined what we can all do to make sending our kids back to school as safe as possible: vaccination, universal mask use, ventilation, testing, quarantining, and cleaning and disinfecting. Unfortunately not all of our leaders are following these recommendations (and some of them are even banning them!).

It is irresponsible for school officials not to take these steps and for governors or other politicians to stand in their way. Unfortunately, some states are doing better than others. We know a lot of parents are feeling helpless and frustrated, so we’re here to help you turn that frustration into action.

Here are three meaningful actions you can take RIGHT NOW to protect kids from COVID-19 during back-to-school:

• Write a letter to your school board and superintendent about requiring masks at school. Here is a sample letter you can use.
• Download and share this Vaccines for Children and Youth fact sheet with parents at your child’s school. (Available in multiple languages!)
• Help those eligible at your child’s school get vaccinated with Made to Save’s Vax to School toolkit.

To protect our kids, we need all hands on deck in support of a layered approach to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. We need everyone who can to get vaccinated. We need everyone to wear a mask while COVID numbers are up. And we need our leaders to follow the guidance from experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics.

We know there are still a lot of questions about COVID-19 and getting back to school, so we are partnering with 50 organizations for a live Q&A with world-renowned infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday, August 30th at 2pm PT / 5pm ET. 

Register at https://amhp.us/back2school/.

This webinar will be led by American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP) and the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) and provide guidance on COVID-19 vaccination efforts for parents, students, and teachers as we transition back to in-person schooling.

We want to hear from YOU! Tell us your concerns about going back to school amid COVID-19. You can either write us a note or record a short video.

Thank you for taking action and for all that you do for our families’ health.